lisafrommassachusetts

Good luck! Hopefully the steps we are now taking (or being strongly encouraged to take) will, in fact, "flatten the curve" and you and all the other folks on the front lines in this crisis don't get totally swamped. I worry for all my friends in healthcare; it's hard to fight off the virus when you are working under such stressful conditions. My thankful thoughts are with you.

One thing I know I am guilty of is unrealistic expectations. You just had 75% of your stomach removed! Your body is in shock; you are probably still feeling the effects of the anesthesia, you are eating around 400 calories a day, you were walking more than you are used to (muscles get tired!) and you are on an emotional roller coaster. I understand why they stress walking to get rid of the gas and get yourself moving, and hydrate and protein, but I feel like we also need to HEAL and be KIND to ourselves. This will pass.

I can eat turkey sausage; I either cut it up and cook it with some diced tomatoes and spinach, or open the sausage and cook it like crumbles. I've done that with rice cauliflower, garlic and Cajun spice, and also with diced tomatoes, Italian spices and baked a spaghetti squash. I use either a tsp of fresh grated parmesan cheese, or a tablespoon of low fat shredded cheddar. It's pretty high in protein. I have brought a couple of slices of deli turkey with some low fat shredded cheese to work for lunch; just make a little roll up. Chew, chew, chew. 2 slices fills me up nicely. I've had some sugar free apple sauce with that. I've been making little one egg omelets; I use one egg and 3 tbl of egg beaters (=1 egg white); I fill it with spinach, some Dash, and a little part skim mozzarella or the low fat cheddar. I have new little plates, and it fills it up. I usually can't eat it all. I bought some pre-made, pre-cooked turkey meatballs; I had to cook them in the tomatoes at first to get them soft enough; tonight I just baked come and had it on a bed of very well cooked broccoli. My husband likes them, so I made him a little pasta with oil and garlic. He's been a sport with all the mushy vegetables. I also love fish; I have baked salmon with no fat greek yoghurt and Cajun spices or lemon and garlic. Heat a non-stick pan with a generous coating of cooking spray; cook skin side down for a minute or 2; then place in a baking dish, brush the top of the filets with the seasoned yoghurt; bake at 400 for about 20 minutes. Nice and moist. I've also made tilapia; thin tilapia cooks in minutes; fry with cooking oil; then make a "sauce" with the no fat greek yoghurt; I did lemon and garlic. Yummy. Nice with cauliflower rice. Tomorrow I am making some split pea soup. I'll use that for lunches next week. I am hoping I can "hide" some protein powder in the soup to get some protein bang. Also easy; Rotisserie chicken! I make chicken salad with the left overs; I have been using mayo made with olive oil; half the calories, and I like the taste. And of course good old tuna salad; lots of protein! I figure if I can get a little variety I am less likely to loose my mind! And less likely to sabotage things.

In Western Mass most schools are closed until the end of March; in Springfield there are sites throughout the city for students to get a take home breakfast and lunch for free. (Springfield has a very high percentage of students living in poverty). It is the hourly workers and parents with younger kids who are suddenly home with no one to watch them that must be scrambling. In our state there can be no gatherings of more than 250 people, so concerts, our local huge St. Patrick's day parade and road race, churches, etc. are all closed. Restaurants are deserted. Our local grocery stores have some shortages, but not like what friends and family elsewhere are experiencing. We have a local MGM casino, it is closed for at least 2 weeks. Scary times, odd times, I worry about our seniors, parents, low wage earners and small businesses. We have so many friends and family members who work in the medical field; I worry about them! I read today that sunshine is good for killing the virus; I kind of doubt it because it sure has walloped Australia (where it is summer!); but it is good for our mental health. Trying to practice conscious gratitude every day, and getting outside for some fresh air and movement. It almost doesn't seem real. Hope everyone is staying healthy and hopeful.

I'm curious; Has anyone tried the pasta made from chickpeas? I bought some for our emergency food stores, but I have another week before I am off soft food. I'd love to know if anyone has any experience using that pasta. It does have protein!

@Xx1jpt5xx, I admire that attitude! I, however, am just too darn curious. I am trying to just step on every few days. I think I'll try to just do Fridays.

I started on eggs; but I have also really enjoyed a turkey sausage link with steamed cauliflower rice and spinach with some Cajun spice; I made Shelly's Ricotta Bake tonight and added some spinach (yum!); I've had baked salmon, tilapia, tuna salad and rotisserie chicken. Can't eat much, 2 oz fills me up if it is meat, but it feels great to eat something with some texture. I just wish I had room for a little more vegetables!

I actually gained weight around 3 weeks; but the scale has moved downward again. I feel like eating soft food has helped a bit. What are folks enjoying eating as they move to soft foods?

Congratulations!! What an amazing accomplishment. It is so uplifting to hear these kinds of success stories. Unconscious (and probably conscious) bias against fat people is very, very real. Takes a little of the glow off losing all the weight, I would think, but you should revel in the work you did for yourself and your health! Way to go!

@Celeste kimberly, just climb right back on the wagon! Quitting smoking is HARD! I quit so many times before it finally stuck, and I thank the universe every day that I don't have that burden anymore. You are balancing a lot of life changes right now; one slip is not the end of the world. But think about you this time next year, healthy, thin and smoke free! You got this!

I'm in Western Massachusetts, and we don't have any cases here, yet, but there has been one in Worcester. I have basically had a cold with congestion and now a cough for a couple of weeks; I only had my surgery on Feb. 10, and it had been delayed for a week because I had the flu (regular flu, high fever with body aches, sinus congestion). I am also 61, so between my immune system being taxed and my age I am feeling pretty vulnerable. I am certainly not panicking, but I am working from home when I can (like today), and scheduling as many phone conferences as I can instead of in person meetings. I have both disinfectant wipes and cleanser at work, and I cleaned every surface in my office. Similarly I have cleaned our house pretty thoroughly with disinfectant cleaners, and my housekeeper is coming Monday and will do a deeper clean. We have at least 2 weeks of food in the house; I just started eating soft foods, so I have several dozen eggs, some well, Yes! soups, pre-made turkey meatballs, turkey sausage, ground turkey, chicken breasts and chicken wings in the freezer. I have several low fat cheeses, canned tomatoes, frozen spinach and kale. Of course I also have protein powder and some dry high protein soups, that aren't all that tasty but got me through "smooth" food stage. Won't be fancy, but we can certainly make it a couple of weeks. My adult son is temporarily staying with us for a couple of months, and I have pasta, hamburger, bread, and rice for him and my husband. All of our prescriptions are filled. We got a double order on "Chewy" this month so we have plenty of pet food. Having said all that, I cannot avoid being in public, my job requires it sometimes. (I am an attorney, and a litigator, so I have to go to Court, do depositions, etc.) The Courts by and large have not announced any changes, although that may be coming. I would welcome phone conferences when and if we can. I carry hand sanitizer, and I wash my hands all the time. I've become one of those people who uses a paper towel to open the bathroom door after I wash my hands! Everyone I know in the medical field thinks this is going to get worse before it gets better. I've done what I can; I will continue to follow the advice of the professionals because I know I don't know more than them. We are continuing on with our lives, we go to the supermarket frequently for fresh fruits, vegetables and fish, we went to a show last week-end. We did change plans for this week-end, we are having friends come here instead of going out, but that was really about me not wanting to go to a restaurant/pub yet. It's hard to find the balance between being responsibly prepared and overreacting to all the hype. To me, once the entire country of Italy shut down I figured maybe I should take this a little more seriously. I guess we can add "wash your hands" to watch your protein and liquids!

Thank goodness!! Your husband sounds like a keeper. Now you need I'm walking across Spain clothes!!

I found it so much easier to meet the protein goals once I could eat some actual food!

Wow! Great weight loss! A month on the liquid diet is loooong. I got to eat smooth foods after 10 days, and soft after 20. Good luck!

Good luck today. What a tough week-end this must have been for you. I'm hoping you are walking across Spain in 3 months!

Headphones. I could not sleep the night after surgery, and I listened to music and sort of dozed. It drowned out the hospital sounds and was calming.

4 weeks out today! I am down about 13 pounds since the day of surgery, plus the 10 I lost during the 3 week pre-op. I have lost 10% of my body weight from my high of 260 last October. On the upside: I am getting all my protein in; I'm not hungry; I seem to be getting in to more of a rhythm with this. I have had no pain to speak of. Downside: I keep getting colds, sore throats, etc. I think my immune system is just really low; I had the flu before surgery, then the surgery, and have not really gotten my strength back. I am hopeful I won't get that coronavirus! I'm still struggling with the liquids; I can get to 50, but getting to 64 is a stretch. I have not been able to significantly increase my exercise (which is just walking). Also, although I was not a heavy drinker, I did enjoy a glass of wine or a beer, and I have to learn how to meet up with friends now that I am not drinking. Seems odd to meet for a glass of water I'm looking forward to getting healthy, not feeling so run down, increasing my walking especially as the weather gets nicer, and being released to full foods so I can experiment with some different meals that I can share with my family. How are other February surgery folks doing as we move through the post op phases?

@pssk: See if there is a "Dress for Success" near you. They are a great way to donate to women in need; and they are always grateful for larger sizes. There is often one for men, too. It helps people who are re-entering the work force with professional clothes for interviews and starts them off with a couple of professional outfits for work. I am one of those people who pretty rigorously purges my closets; I live in a 100 year old house and storage is limited. I have donated to Dress for Success on my way up...It will be nice to do it on the way down (I hope!) Younger ladies, if you have formal wear that you are ready to part with, see if there is a place to donate for foster kids to wear to prom. We did a drive at work for an organization that does that, it was amazing. I'm well past the age where my stuff is what they want for prom, but I did donate barely worn dress shoes and I had a rather ridiculous number of fancy clutch purses that went!,,

Wow 90 grams is a lot! Can you stand having the Premier flavored drinks? They are 30 G each. Also, I drink Bone Broth, Swanson, and that has protein and counts toward your clear liquids. I have been making a little omelet for breakfast; 1 egg, 3 tablespoons of egg beaters and 1 tbl. shredded low fat cheddar; 23 G. Also, I am amazed, and jealous, that you get to have coffee! Good luck!

@ResaRoo, it is nice to know I am not alone! All we can do is keep to the plan. I expected to be a "slow loser"; part pessimism, part my age, part my thyroid issues, part that I don't exercise robustly. But gaining seems just rude!

How far out are you from surgery? I hope you start to feel better!

My surgery was 2/10, and this week I GAINED A POUND AND A HALF!!!! I am trying not to overreact; I have been weighing and/or measuring everything; I have met my protein goals every day, my liquids have been between 48 and 60, I am walking every day, slowly trying to gain some stamina. I have bad arthritis in both knees, and I walk several times a day for 10 to 15 minutes, and get up every hour and walk a bit. I went back to work this week, which seemed to make it easier to fall into a rhythm. I track everything on My Fitness Pal, including my vitamins. My calories have ranged from a low of 480 to a high of 632. I am on soft foods, and am eating things like 2 oz. of rotisserie chicken, 2 slices of deli turkey breast with 1 tbsp. of low fat cheddar cheese rolled up in the slices. I have to just keep the faith, but boy is this frustrating!!!!

You are fine. Our heads play games with us. Enjoy the soup, it is a nice break from the protein drink and the water.

What scary news. It is a bit of a blessing and a curse I guess to be medically so astute! However you sound like you have pretty amazing medical providers, which will undoubtedly help going through this. I hope you are in the 15%, of course. But if it is cancer, you know that it is a world away from the old days where treatment was so limited. I wish you, and your family, strength and hope as you walk this path.

Wow, that does seem like a long time on clear liquids; I had protein shakes starting the next morning, although I could not get it down. Good luck! Can you tolerate broth? That might give you a little break.